Australian Muslim Party aims to contest federal and state elections

Diaa Mohamed, the founder of Australia’s first Muslim political party, in Parramatta.

Australia’s first Islamic faith political party intends to field Senate candidates in all states and territories at next year’s federal election and also contest upper house seats at state level.

The party, to be announced Tuesday, will be known as the Australian Muslim Party, Fairfax Media can reveal.

Founder Diaa Mohamed defended the timing of the announcement days after the Paris terrorist atrocities, insisting there had never been a more critical time for the Muslim community to have a political voice in Australia.

The newly formed Australian Muslim Party will never support military action in a Muslim-majority country, founder Diaa Mohamed says.

As a devout Muslim, he said he would never condone the killing of innocents as seen on the streets of Paris and Beirut in the past week but said the Australian Muslim Party would also never support military action in a Muslim country in response to terrorism.

“I don’t think Islam is at war with the West but Islamic countries have been at war for many, many years,” he said.